Restaurant Review: Kain Na

     Kain Na is a Filipino restaurant and market that serves authentic Filipino dishes and desserts. I came across this place by looking on my google maps app as to what was around my general location and what would be open by the time I get off work. This was the second restaurant to pop up in the list, and saw that it was only ten minutes away from my home. I chose this place because I am part Filipina myself, but have never been to a restaurant that serves traditional and authentic Filipino cuisine. It was something that I was nervous about because in my eyes, me and my family make some pretty darn good Filipino food already. But I decided to give it a shot and go in with an open mind. 

    I decided to take my mom with me because I know that this is something that she would love to try and she herself has not gone to any Filipino restaurants either. So, this would be a new experience for both of us. As we were getting closer to the location, I noticed that it was in an area that I was very familiar with. I go down this road every time when I am going to my dad's work, my aunt's house, or the tattoo shop. Once we saw the sign to turn into the parking lot, I noticed that it was the very same place that used to be mine and my families favorite Chinese buffet but unfortunately closed down due to the pandemic. 

    For this restaurant to not be far away from my house at all is not bad, the restaurant is part of this little strip that has other businesses with it, but it takes up about a good fifty percent of the entire strip due it being a restaurant and a market. Its right across from the auto shop that has been open ever since I was about nine years old. So, while the restaurant is unfamiliar itself, I recognized the area pretty quickly. On the outside it had pictures of some of the dishes that they serve on the windows and a big sign with the name on the pillar above so people can see it when they drive by. 

    Once we made it inside, I was actually a little shocked by how much space there actually was before the new owners bought this place. On the left side, there is a huge chunk of space that has a little stage for karaoke and some tables, but they were closed off at the time. Then in the middle of the restaurant towards the back was where the servers were, and the kitchen was right behind them. then on our right there were more tables that were meant for general dine-in and then there was the market but that was closed when we got there. My first impression is that obviously this place is huge, and they don't use the entirety of the space which makes it almost look like a dance hall. 

    When we got there, it was mainly empty except for the employees, and the first thing I could smell when I walked in was soy sauce and some kind of meat that was being cooked. The servers greeted us, gave us a menu and told us to come back to them once we are done looking through the menu to order and pay for the food. Other than the music playing throughout the building, it was relatively quiet which I did not mind, because personally I do not like very loud and pact places. 

    The menu was not huge, but it did have a number of options to choose from. You could choose to have just the entree, or you could make it a whole meal. They also had a list of specials on specific days, appetizers, drinks, and desserts to look and choose from. My mom immediately looked at the appetizers and said that we would be getting the Lumpia, but I was immediately looking for their chicken adobo because my all-time favorite dish to eat. Once I found that and saw what their meal comes with, I figured out what I was going to get. 

    Once we decided what we wanted the servers took our order at the stand and then gave us our drinks. We sat there for about a good ten minutes before our food came out. This was only one of the three times we interacted with them, but in those small interactions they were kind and friendly and made sure to ask if we needed anything else before they walked back to their station. There were not any issues with our order and once we had everything, we dove right in to eating. 

    So, me and mom got both our meals and the appetizer at the same time. We ordered Lumpia (which is a pork filling that is wrapped with a crispy shell, almost like an egg roll) and I got the chicken adobo while my mom got pork adobo. When I saw my meal the first thing I looked at was the chicken and it immediately made me ready to eat. It was chicken thighs which is a necessity in adobo, and it was very tender to the touch. I could smell the apple cider vinegar and the soy sauce from the bowl but there was another thing I was smelling but I could not put my finger on it as to what it was. 

    When I finally took a bite the first thing, I tasted was not the soy sauce, but the vinegar. Usually, when I have adobo, I am used to tasting the soy sauce, but in this case, I was tasting the vinegar more. It was not bad, but very interesting. It tasted balanced so I was not mad at it. Along with the adobo it had some sticky rice and some veggies such as green onion, shredded carrots, and chopped celery. I ate it all together, but for me personally I think they could have left out the celery and put more green onion, but that's just my personal preference. The Lumpia was amazing. The shell was thin and crispy, but the pork filling on the inside was juicy and flavorful. It almost reminded me of a flauta from taco cabana except instead of chicken its pork. Me and mom absolutely enjoyed our food, but we could not finish because there was a lot of food in our meals. So, it was definitely worth the ten bucks for a bowl of adobo and rice.  

    This is something I would definitely eat again and would come back to if I am ever craving Filipino food but am too tired or lazy to make it. Below is a picture of our food, and I know it is not the best quality, or lighting, but I will get better next time.